Method of promoting skin care products

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method of promoting a skin care product comprising taking a standard photograph of the skin of a person; (ii) taking at least one additional photograph of the skin of the person, the additional photograph selected from the group consisting of an ultraviolet photograph, a blue fluorescence photograph, and a polarized photograph; (iii) presenting the standard photograph and the at least one additional photograph to the person; and (iv) suggesting skin care products based upon the person&#39;s review of the presented photographs.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of promoting skin careproducts utilizing multiple types images of a person.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to promote skin care products, many cosmetic companies asktheir potential customers questions regarding perception of their skin.Based on the answers to these questions, cosmetic companies are able tobetter suggest cosmetic and therapeutic products to these people.Examples of such promotions can be found on the Internet webpages ofNeutrogena®, L'Oreal®, and Lancome®. These questions, however, are onlybased upon the subject's perception of their skin under visible light.Many skin problems, however, are not always visible under suchconditions.

Various types of photography have been developed to enhance thevisualization of the skin. In visible light photography, or standardphotography, the most common arrangement includes a camera and one ormore flash units to deliver visible light to the skin by directillumination, diffuse illumination, or a combination thereof. Angledlighting has also been used to generate a gradient of the illuminatingfield on the skin in order to enhance the visualization of wrinkles andfine lines. Depending on the direction of the gradient (vertical orhorizontal), different sets of wrinkles and fine lines may be visuallyenhanced.

Polarized light photography has also been developed to selectivelyenhance either surface or subsurface features of the skin. These resultsare accomplished by placing a polarizing filter (typically a linearpolarizing filter) both in front of the flash unit, and in front of thecamera. When the polarizing filters are in the same orientation witheach other, surface features of the skin such as scales, wrinkles, finelines, pores, and hairs are visually enhanced. When the polarizingfilters are aligned perpendicular to each other, subsurface features ofthe skin such as erythema, pigmentation, blood vessels, and hair, arevisually enhanced.

Ultraviolet photography, where the flash unit is filtered to produceultraviolet A light and the camera is filtered so that only visiblelight enters the lens, has been used to visually enhance the appearanceof pigmentation, the bacteria p. acnes, and horns. A variation ofultraviolet photography has been termed the “sun camera” whereultraviolet A light is used to illuminate the skin and an ultraviolet Asensitive film or a digital camera is used to record the reflectedultraviolet light from the skin. In this arrangement, both the pigmentdistribution and the surface features of the skin are visually enhanced.

The present invention provides people with access to one or more ofthese improved means of viewing their skin, in order to provide themadditional insight into the condition of their skin. Such insight allowsthem to make more informed decisions regarding the purchase of skin careproducts. In addition, skin care products can be suggested to suchpotential customers by retailers or professionals based upon suchcustomer's enhanced perception of their skin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention features a method of promoting a skin careproduct comprising taking a standard photograph of the skin of a person;(ii) taking at least one additional photograph of the skin of theperson, the additional photograph selected from the group consisting ofan ultraviolet photograph, a blue fluorescence photograph, and apolarized photograph; (iii) presenting the standard photograph and theat least one additional photograph to the person; and (iv) suggestingskin care products based upon the person's review of the presentedphotographs.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of photographing theskin of a person comprising the steps of: (i) illuminating the skin withat least one light source, where the light emitted from the light sourceis filtered using a polarizing filter; and (ii) capturing the image ofsuch illuminated skin with a camera; wherein the angle formed by thelight source, the skin, and the camera is from about 35 degrees to about55 degrees.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of promoting a skincare product comprising: (i) illuminating the skin with at least onelight source, where the light emitted from the light source is filteredusing a polarizing filter; (ii) capturing the image of such illuminatedskin with a camera, wherein the angle formed by the light source, theskin, and the camera is from about 35 degrees to about 55 degrees; (iii)presenting the image to the person; and (iv) suggesting skin careproducts based upon the person's review of the image.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of photographing theskin of a person comprising: (i) illuminating the skin with at least onelight source, wherein the light source either emits substantially onlylight having a wavelength from about 380 to about 430 nm or emits lightthrough a filter that emits substantially only light having a wavelengthfrom about 380 to about 430 nm; and (ii) capturing the image of suchilluminated skin with a camera; wherein the light entering the camera isalso filtered with a long pass filter, wherein the long pass filtersubstantially eliminates light having a wavelength below about 400 nm.

In one aspect, the invention features a method of promoting a skin careproduct comprising: (i) illuminating the skin with at least one lightsource, wherein the light source either emits substantially only lighthaving a wavelength from about 380 to about 430 nm or emits lightthrough a filter that emits substantially only light having a wavelengthfrom about 380 to about 430 nm; (ii) capturing the image of suchilluminated skin with a camera, wherein the light entering the camera isalso filtered with a long pass filter, wherein the long pass filtersubstantially eliminates light having a wavelength below about 400 nm;(iii) presenting the image to the person; and (iv) suggesting skin careproducts based upon the person's review of the image.

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the detailed description of the invention and from theclaims

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overhead view of an apparatus used to sequentially take thefollowing four types of pictures of a person: a standard photograph, apolarized photograph, a ultraviolet A photograph, and a bluefluorescence photograph.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is believed that one skilled in the art can, based upon thedescription herein, utilize the present invention to its fullest extent.The following specific embodiments are to be construed as merelyillustrative, and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure inany way whatsoever.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention belongs. Also, all publications, patentapplications, patents, and other references mentioned herein areincorporated by reference.

The Camera

Various types of cameras may be used in the methods of the presentinvention. Examples of such cameras include, but are not limited to,standard 35 mm cameras, cameras using instant developing film (such asthose available from Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. USA), anddigital cameras. Preferably, a digital camera is used as it providesfast access to the images taken of the subject. It also allows the imageto be displayed on a large monitor, enables the subject to easilyenlarge areas of skin that are of particular interest (e.g., areas ofthe face), and allows the image to be printed in a report which can alsoinclude suggestions for products addressing any concerns the subjectnoticed upon examining the images. Examples of suitable digital camerasinclude, but are not limited to, those which take images of at least 1million pixels, preferable at least 4 million pixels. Examples of suchdigital cameras include, but are not limited to, the Nikon D1X (Nikon,Tokyo, Japan) and the Fuji S1 (Fuji, Tokyo, Japan).

One or more cameras may also be used in the methods of the presentinvention, e.g., separate cameras having a distinct light filtering lensmay be used for each type of photograph taken and/or separate camerasused to photograph different areas or angles of the subject. Preferably,only one camera is used since having more than one camera would requirethat the cameras be calibrated to have the same color and intensityresponse. When only one camera is used, a mechanical filter wheel or armcontaining a filter(s) may be placed in front of the camera toselectively filter the light prior to or after entering the camera'slens and/or the respective filter(s) may be placed at the lightsource(s) to filter the light as it leaves the light source(s). In thecase where multiple light sources are used, the camera can communicatewith each of the respective light sources via hard wiring or a radiotransceiver.

In one embodiment, the camera(s) are mounted at the same level as thearea of skin that the subject desires to be photographed, e.g., the faceof the subject. Preferably, the camera is set such that such area ofskin substantially fills the frame area of the photograph, e.g., toensure the greatest amount of detail in the image.

In one embodiment where multiple images are acquired by single camera,the images are preferably acquired in less than about 30 seconds, e.g.,less than about 10 seconds.

Standard Photography.

In one embodiment, the method includes the step of taking a standardphotograph of the subject. What is meant by “standard photograph” aphotograph that is taken of the subject using visible light (e.g., lighthaving a wavelength from about 400 to about 700 nm). In one embodiment,the subject is illuminated with one or more, preferably two, flash unitsthat emit visible light. In one embodiment, the flash unit(s) arefurther equipped with a diffusing filter that is placed in front of eachflash unit. A diffusing filter is a filter, which assists in uniformlydispersing light (e.g., to help eliminate “hot spots”). Examples of suchdiffusing filters include, but are not limited to, frosted glass filterssuch as a Broncolor Diffuser (Sinar Bron, Allschwil, Switzerland), metalgrids which may be printed on glass substrates, or a diffusingreflective umbrella for indirect lighting.

In one embodiment, the flash unit(s) are angled at the subject's skin togenerate a gradient across the surface of the skin. In a furtherembodiment, the flash units are mounted higher than the skin area of thesubject and aimed at such skin area in order to give a gradient of lighton the skin from the top to the bottom. In one embodiment, the angle ofthe flash units is from about 5 to about 30 degrees, such as about 10degrees, from horizontal. This gradient visually enhances variousfeatures of the skin such as the fine lines and wrinkles in the subject,e.g., the crow's feet around the eye and forehead or mouth areawrinkles.

Polarized Light Photography.

In one embodiment, the method includes the step of taking a polarizedphotograph of the subject. What is meant by “polarized photograph” is aphotograph of the subject taken (i) with a light source that emits lightthrough a polarizing filter and/or (ii) through a polarized filter thatfilters light prior to or after entering the camera's lens.

In one embodiment, the camera and one or more flash units, preferablytwo, are on about the same plane as the subject's skin to bephotographed, and the flash units are placed so that the angle formed byeach flash unit(s), subject's skin, and camera is about 35 to 55degrees, such as about 45 degrees. In one embodiment, a polarizingfilter is placed in front of each flash unit. What is meant by a“polarizing filter” is a filter that filters incoming light to emitsubstantially only polarized light. What is meant by the term“substantially,” as used herein, is at least 75 percent, preferably 90percent, and most preferably at least 95 percent.

Examples of a polarizing filter include, but are not limited to,polarizing plates such as those available from Edmund Scientific(Barrington, N.J. USA), polarizing prisms such as Glan Thomsonpolarizing prisms, or a polarizing reflector that reflects light atabout the Brewster angle. Polarizing filters may be linear or circularpolarizing filters. In a further embodiment, a light diffuser is placedbetween the flash unit and the polarizing filter.

In one embodiment, a linear polarizing filter is used at the lightsource and the linear polarizing filter is arranged such that theelectric field of the emitted light is about perpendicular to the planeformed by the light source, the person's skin, and the camera. Inanother embodiment, a linear polarizing filter is used at the lightsource and the linear polarizing filter is arranged such that theelectric field of the emitted light is about parallel to the planeformed by the light source, the person's skin, and the camera.

In a further embodiment, the flash unit(s) are positioned on ahorizontal plane with the camera and the subject's skin and thepolarizing filter is a linear polarizing filter oriented so that theelectric field of the transmitted light is in the vertical direction(e.g., perpendicular to the plane). In this orientation, the criticalangle for total internal reflection from within the top corneocytes is45 degrees, thereby resulting in an image that is dominated by the lightthus reflected from the corneocytes. The resulting image has a highdegree of glare, which is further enhanced when an optical couplingmedium, such as sebum or “oils,” is present on the surface of thecorneocytes. The polarized image, thereby, allows an estimate to be madeas to the oiliness of the subject's skin.

It also provides insight into the number and severity of pores on thecheek and forehead areas of the facial skin. Other desired outcomes ofpolarized photography include, but are not limited to, an enhanced imageof surface features such as fine lines, skin texture, scales and velloushair.

In another embodiment, the flash unit(s) are positioned on a verticalplane above the camera and the subject's skin so that the angle formedby the flash unit, subject's skin, and camera is about 35 to 55 degreessuch as about 45 degrees and flash unit(s) are filtered with linearpolarizing filter that is placed with the transmitted electric field inthe vertical direction (e.g., parallel to the plane). In thisarrangement the surface glare from the skin is minimized, thus,enhancing the subsurface features of the skin, such as erythema(redness), blood vessels, and pigmentation.

Polarized light sources on both on the horizontal and vertical planeswith the camera and the subject's skin can be used to enhance specificaspects of the skin (e.g., the face) that are partially shaded with theuse of polarized light sources only on the horizontal or vertical planesalone.

In one embodiment, the photograph of the subject is taken both with alight source that emits lights through a polarizing filter and through apolarizing filter that filters the light prior to or after entering thecamera's lens. When the polarizing filters are in the same orientationwith each other (e.g., both horizontal or both vertical), surfacefeatures of the skin such as scales, wrinkles, fine lines, pores, andhairs are visually enhanced.

When the polarizing filters are aligned perpendicular to each other(e.g., one horizontal and one vertical), subsurface features of the skinsuch as erythema, pigmentation, blood vessels, and hair, are visuallyenhanced.

Ultraviolet Photography

In one embodiment, the method includes the step of taking an ultravioletphotograph of the subject. What is meant by “ultraviolet photograph” isa photograph of the subject taken (i) with a light source that eitheremits substantially only ultraviolet light (radiation) or emits lightthrough an ultraviolet filter and/or (ii) through an ultraviolet filterthat filters the light prior to or after entering the camera's lens.What is meant by an ultraviolet filter is a filter that filters incominglight to emit substantially only ultraviolet light (e.g., light having awavelength from about 200 to about 400 nm). Examples of light sourcesthat can emit substantially only ultraviolet light are light emittingdiodes. Examples of ultraviolet photography include, but are not limitedto, ultraviolet A photography or ultraviolet B photography.

Ultraviolet A Photography.

In one embodiment, the method includes the step of taking an ultravioletA photograph of the subject. What is meant by “ultraviolet A photograph”is a photograph of the subject taken (i) with a light source that emitssubstantially only ultraviolet A light or emits light through anultraviolet A filter and/or (ii) through an ultraviolet A filter thatfilters the light prior to or after entering the camera's lens.

In one embodiment, one or more, preferably two, flash units are filteredwith an ultraviolet A filter (“UVA filter”). What is meant by a UVAfilter is a filter that filters incoming light to emit substantiallyonly light having a wavelength of from about 320 to about 400 nm.Examples of UVA filters include, but are not limited to, the ultravioletUG-11 filter (Schott Glass Technologies, Duryea, Pa. USA). The resultingimage may be rich in red color because of the long wavelength pass ofUVA filter. In one embodiment, when utilizing a digital camera, eitherthe blue or green channel, preferably the blue channel, of the RGB imageis selected for viewing, resulting in a black and white image.

Benefits of an ultraviolet A photograph include, but are not limited to,enhanced appearance of pigmented macules on the skin and surfacefeatures such as bumps and wrinkles. Ultraviolet A photography may beused to determine the uniformity of application of topical products,such as sunscreens and of make-ups, that contain materials that absorbultraviolet radiation. In addition, since melanin pigmentation morestrongly absorbs UVA radiation than visible light, illuminating the skinwith UVA radiation gives an enhanced contrast between normal skin andhyperpigmented skin. Furthermore, the pigmented macules are visualizedas dark spots on a bright background due to the scattering and thefluorescence of the dermal collagen matrix. The image recorded by thecamera includes both the reflection of ultraviolet A radiation andfluorescence of the collagen. The resulting black and white imageobtained by the blue or green channel from a digital camera provides anenhanced view of the distribution of pigmented macules on the skin(e.g., the face). For subjects with deeply pigmented skin, the redchannel may be selected.

In another embodiment, the flash units are further filtered with a redblocking filter. Examples of such red blocking filter include, but isnot limited to, a KG-5 filter (Schott Glass Technologies). Such filtersmay assist in correcting the red appearance of the image.

Blue Fluorescence Photography.

In one embodiment, the method includes the step of taking a bluefluorescence photograph of the subject. What is meant by “bluefluorescence photograph” is a photograph of the subject taken with alight source that emits substantially only blue light or emits lightthrough a blue filter. What is meant by “blue light” is light having awavelength from about 380 to about 430 nm.

In one embodiment, one or more, preferably two, flash units are filteredwith a blue filter. What is meant by a “blue filter” is a filter thatfilters incoming light to emit substantially only blue light. Examplesof such blue filters include, but are not limited to, interferencefilters such as those available from Melles Griot (Irvine, Calif. USA)or dielectric filters.

In one embodiment, the light entering the camera is also filtered (e.g.,prior to or after entering the lens of the camera) with a long passfilter to substantially eliminate light having a wavelength below about400 nm. Examples of long pass filters include, but are not limited to,GG-420 or GG-440 filters (Schott Glass Technologies) and Kodak WrattenNo. 8 (Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y. USA). In one embodiment, the flashunits and filters are placed on either side of the camera atapproximately the same horizontal plane as the skin sample of thesubject.

This type of photography produces bright images of the distribution ofcoproporphyrin produced by the bacteria P. acnes and of horns. What ismeant by a “horn” is a mixture of sebaceous lipids, keratinocytes, andpossibly sebocytes impacted in open comedones and blackheads on theskin. By using substantially only blue light that is within the Soretabsorption band of porphyrins, the fluorescence emission ofcoproporphyrin is maximized. Excitation in this range also yields brightemission images of the distribution of “horns” because the fluorescenceyield of horns is higher when excited in the blue region of thespectrum.

In one embodiment, when utilizing a digital camera, the color image maybe viewed showing the distribution of coproporphyrin and therefore thesites of maximum p. acnes concentration, which appears red in the image.The image also contains bright white spots, which correspond to cloggedpores or open comedones. In another embodiment the green channel of theRGB image is selected to enhance the horn fluorescence emission and thered channel may be selected to enhance the fluorescence emission ofporphyrins from p. acnes. The resulting black and white images, thus,provide excellent imaging of small vessels because hemoglobin has itsSoret band in the same wavelength range as porphyrins. In oneembodiment, these vessels are visualized using either the blue or thegreen channel of the RBG image.

Promotion of Skin Care Products

Upon acquisition of the photographs, these images are presented to thesubject. The means of presenting the photographs depends in part on thetype of photograph taken (e.g., using standard film, instant developingfilm, or a digital image). When using standard film or instantdeveloping film, the prints of the images are provided to the subject.The prints may also be scanned and presented to the subject on acomputer monitor (e.g., a LCD or CRT monitor). When using a digitalcamera, the image may also be presented on such a monitor.

Following presentation of the images to the subject, skin care productscan be suggested to the person based upon his/her review of the images.In one embodiment, the method comprises presenting the subject with oneor more questions relating to the presented images. Based upon theanswers to such questions, one or more skin care products can besuggested to the subject. These products can be associated withresponses to the questionnaire, made by a person reviewing the subject'sanswers, or made by a computer based upon the answers of the subject.The review of the various images by the subject facilitates moreinformed answers to the questions.

In one embodiment, the suggestions of skin care products is made by acomputer program that recommends products based upon the answersprovided by the subject. In one embodiment, a list of skin care productsare maintained on a relational database. These products are associatedwith answers to certain questions. Thus, based upon the answers providedby the subject, certain products are selected by the computer program.For example, if the subject answers that he/she has wrinkles, thecomputer program will search the data based for skin care productseffective for treating wrinkles (e.g., products containing retinol)and/or if the subject answers that he/she has acne, the computer programwill search the database for skin care products effective for treatingacne (e.g., products containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid).

In one embodiment, these suggestions are limited to a set number ofproducts, e.g., the program will not recommend more than five products.In such a case, the computer program will prioritize skin care productsuggestions based upon either the importance of the skin disordersidentified by the subject or the database's ranking of importance of theskin disorder to be addressed. For example, if the subject responds thathe/she has severe acne and moderate fine lines, the computer programwill recommend acne product(s).

In one embodiment, following application of a skin care product (e.g.,one suggested by the present method) for a period of time (e.g., oneweek, one month, or one year), the subject is then photographed again.These new photographs are compared to the original photographs todetermine the efficacy of the skin care product.

In one embodiment, the recommended products may be available at thelocation where the photographs are taken, e.g., the photographs aretaken in a store or kiosk that sells skin care products.

Skin Care Product

Following the subject's visual analysis of the images, skin careproduct(s) can be suggested to the subject to address any perceivedproblems identified following such analysis.

What is meant by a “skin care product” is a topical compositioncomprising cosmetically active agent. What is meant by a “cosmeticallyactive agent” is a compound (e.g., a synthetic compound or a compoundisolated from a natural source) that has a cosmetic or therapeuticeffect on the skin, including, but not limiting to, anti-aging agents,lightening agents, darkening agents such as self-tanning agents,anti-acne agents, shine control agents, anti-microbial agents,anti-inflammatory agents, anti-mycotic agents, anti-parasite agents,sunscreens such as UVA/UVB blocking or absorbing agents,photoprotectors, antioxidants, keratolytic agents,detergents/surfactants, astringents, moisturizers, nutrients, aminoacids, amino acid derivatives, minerals, plant extracts, animal-derivedsubstances, vitamins, energy enhancers, anti-perspiration agents,astringents, deodorants, hair removers, hair growth stimulators, hairgrowth retarding agents, firming agents, anti-callous agents, and agentsfor nail and/or skin conditioning.

In one embodiment, the cosmetically-active agent is selected from, butnot limited to, the group consisting of hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide,sulfur resorcinol, ascorbic acid, D-panthenol, hydroquinone, octylmethoxycinnimate, titanium dioxide, octyl salicylate, homosalate,avobenzone, polyphenolics, carotenoids, free radical scavengers,retinoids such as retinoic acid, retinol, and retinyl palmitate,ceramides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential fatty acids, enzymes,enzyme inhibitors, minerals, hormones such as estrogens, steroids suchas hydrocortisone, 2-dimethylaminoethanol, copper salts such as copperchloride, peptides containing copper such as Cu:Gly-His-Lys, coenzymeQ10, lipoic acid, amino acids such a proline and tyrosine, vitamins,lactobionic acid, acetyl-coenzyme A, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin,ribose, electron transporters such as NADH and FADH2, and otherbotanical extracts such as aloe vera, witch hazel, and legumes such assoy beans, and derivatives and mixtures thereof. The cosmetically activeagent will typically be present in the composition of the invention inan amount of from about 0.001% to about 20% by weight of thecomposition, e.g., about 0.01% to about 10% such as about 0.1% to about5%.

Examples of vitamins include, but are not limited to, vitamin A, vitaminBs such as vitamin B3, vitamin B5, and vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitaminK, and vitamin E and derivatives thereof.

Examples of hydroxy acids include, but are not limited, to glycolicacid, lactic acid, malic acid, salicylic acid, citric acid, and tartaricacid.

Examples of antioxidants include but are not limited to, water-solubleantioxidants such as sulfhydryl compounds and their derivatives (e.g.,sodium metabisulfite and N-acetyl-cysteine), lipoic acid anddihydrolipoic acid, resveratrol, lactoferrin, glutathione, and ascorbicacid and ascorbic acid derivatives (e.g., ascorbyl palmitate andascorbyl polypeptide). Oil-soluble antioxidants suitable for use in thecompositions of this invention include, but are not limited to,butylated hydroxytoluene, retinoids (e.g., retinol and retinylpalmitate), tocopherols (e.g., tocopherol acetate), tocotrienols, andubiquinone. Natural extracts containing antioxidants suitable for use inthe compositions of this invention, include, but not limited to,extracts containing flavonoids and isoflavonoids and their derivatives(e.g., genistein and diadzein), extracts containing resveratrol and thelike. Examples of such natural extracts include grape seed, green tea,pine bark, and propolis.

Various other cosmetically-active agents may also be present in the skincare products. These include, but are not limited to, skin protectants,humectants, and emollients. The skin care products may also comprisechelating agents (e.g., EDTA), preservatives (e.g., parabens), pigments,dyes, opacifiers (e.g., titanium dioxide), and fragrances.

The following is an example of a manner of practicing a method of thepresent invention. Other manners may be practiced by those of ordinaryskill in the art.

EXAMPLE

One embodiment of the present invention utilizes a kiosk that isintended to be an interactive tool from which subjects (e.g., potentialcustomers) call evaluate their facial skin and decide upon a course ofaction to improve the appearance of the skin. The kiosk is designed suchthat a subject will have a series of images acquired of their face andthe images will be presented to them one at a time along with questionsrelating to the displayed images.

In one example of the present invention, the kiosk comprises apparatus100, as set forth in FIG. 1 (not to scale). Apparatus 100 is enclosedabove and on three side (the side containing chin rest 6 in open for thesubject to enter his/her head) with a frosted plastic glass (not shown).Apparatus 100, which is capable of taking four types of photographs ofthe subject, is set-up on table 15 having dimensions of 30″ by 36″. Halfway along the long dimension of table 15 (about 18″ from one end) andabout 1⅝″ in from the front end of table 15 there is chin rest 6 for thesubject's chin. The height of chin rest 6 is about 12″ above table 15.Across from chin rest 6 and exactly half way along the opposite end ofthe table 15 is camera 11 (Nikon D1X). Camera 11 is mounted so that thecenter of the camera lens of camera 11 is about 17″ above the top oftable 15. The distance between chin rest 6 and the front end of the lensof camera 11 is adjusted so that the subject's face substantially fillsthe camera frame of camera 11.

On the side of table 15 away from chin rest 6 are flash units 30 a, 30b, 40 a, 40 b, 50 a, and 50 b (Broncolor Picolites, Sinar Bron,Allschwil, Switzerland) which are powered, respectively, by power packs92, 92, 93, 93, 91, and 91. The standard flash units 50 a and 50 b,which are used for taking a standard photograph, are mounted abovecamera 11 and angled down about 20 degrees. Flash units 50 a and 50 bare directed toward the center of the subject's face. Diffusing filters51 a and 51 b (Broncolor Diffuser, Sinar Bron) are placed, respectively,in front of flash units 50 a and 50 b.

UVA flash units 30 a and 30 b, which are used for the ultraviolet Aphotography, are mounted on either side of camera 11 at about 14″ fromthe edge of table 15 and at a height of about 20″ from the top of table15. UVA filters 31 a and 31 b (UG-11 filters, Schott Glass Technologies,Duryea, Pa. USA) are placed, respectively, in front of UVA flash units30 a and 30 b. Blue flash units 40 a and 40 b, which are used for bluefluorescence photography, are also mounted on either side of the cameraat about 14″ from the edge of the table top and at a height of about 13″from the top of table 15. Blue filters 41 a and 41 b (Melles Griot,Irvine, Calif. USA) are placed, respectively, in front of blue flashunits 40 a and 40 b. The UVA flash units 30 a and 30 b and the blueflash units 40 a and 40 b are directed to the center of the face of thesubject.

The polarized flash units 20 a and 20 b (Broncolor Picolites), which areused for polarized light photography, are powered by power pack 90.Diffusing filters 21 a and 21 b (Broncolor Diffuser, Sinar Bron) areplaced, respectively, in front of polarized flash units 20 a and 20 b,respectively. Linear polarizing filters 22 a and 22 b (EdmundScientific, Barrington, N.J. USA) are placed, respectively, in front ofdiffusing filters 21 a and 21 b in a vertical orientation. Polarizedflash unit 20 a is positioned at about 4½″ from the left edge and about14″ in from the proximal edge of table 15 and polarized flash unit 20 bis positioned at about 4½″ from the right edge and about 14″ in from theproximal edge of table 15. The angle between either flash units 20 a or20 b, the chin rest 6, and the camera 11 is about 45 degrees.

The method begins when the subject enters the kiosk image acquisitionarea and enters basic demographic information into a facial skin-careevaluation computer program (Microsoft Visual Basic, MicrosoftCorporation, Redmond, Wash. USA) using a touch-screen monitor 70(SecurePoint, SeePoint Technologies, Torrance, Calif.), which is mountedunder table 15 and connected to the same computer running the computerprogram. The subject enters data into the computer program via monitor70 (computer program runs MountFocus Runtime Keyboard and the keyboardpresent on monitor 70 was designed using MountFocus Keyboard designerprograms (MountFocus Information Systems, Wilmington, Del. USA)),however, other input device such as a keyboard, a track ball, and acomputer mouse may be used. Examples of such information include, butare not limited to, age and gender of the subject. Following the inputof such demographic information, the computer program then instructs thesubject to place their chin on chin rest 6 and indicates to the subjectto close his/her eyes since apparatus 100 is ready to take photographs.

Upon touching monitor 70, the software makes a function call to an imageacquisition and display software (“IDL software”; IDL, Research Systems,Inc., Boulder, Colo.) running on the same computer. The IDL softwarethen triggers camera 11 to acquire a blue fluorescence photograph, astandard photograph, a polarized photograph, and an ultraviolet Aphotograph. The flash units 40 a, 40 b, 50 a, 50 b, 20 a, 20 b, 30 a,and 30 b are triggered sequentially through the use of a radiotransceiver (Pocket Wizard Multimax, LPA Design, South Burlington, Vt.USA) using transceivers 95 (attached to power pack 90 and operating inreceiver mode), 96 (attached to power pack 91 and operating in receivermode), 97 (attached to power pack 92 and operating in receiver mode), 98(attached to power pack 93 and operating in receiver mode), and 99(attached to the hot shoe of camera 11 and operating in transmittermode). A Topas A2 power pack (Sinar Bron) is used for power packs 90 and91 and a Primo 4 power pack (Sinar Bron) is used for power packs 92 and93. The radio transceiver causes the activation of the pairs of flashunits in response to the shutter release of camera 11.

Prior to taking the blue fluorescence photograph, the IDL software makesa call to servo motor 80, using a Mini SSC II circuit board (ScottEdwards Electronics, Sierra Vista, Ariz. USA), to move long pass filter81 (Kodak Wratten No. 8, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y. USA) in front ofthe lens of camera 11. After this movement, the blue fluorescencephotograph is taken. Following the taking of this photograph, the IDLsoftware then makes another call to servo motor 80 to move long passfilter 81 away from the lens of camera 11. The IDL software theninstructs the camera to take the remaining three images. Apparatus 100is able to acquire these four images in about 10 seconds.

At this point, the four images just acquired are stored in the memory ofcamera 11 as separate data files. The IDL software then makes functioncalls to these data files and requests these files be transferred to thecomputer running the computer software and saved to its hard disk with afile name that indicates the apparatus used, subject identifier, and thetype of image.

The subject is then presented on monitor 70 with a registration form.Examples of such questions include e-mail address, places where they buyskin-care products, ethnic background, and amount and type of skin-careproducts that they have purchased in the past (e.g., the past year).

The subject then begins reviewing each of the four images on monitor 70and answers questions, presented on monitor 70, about each image. Thecomputer program calls the IDL software and requests that a particularsaved image be loaded from the hard disk and resized to fit in thescreen display area. Once the image is displayed, the IDL software thenreturns control to the computer program. The facial image display areais roughly half of monitor 70. The other half of the screen of monitor70 displays a series of questions relating to the particular displayedimage. To assist the subject in the review of his/her images, thecomputer program may also display on monitor 70 images of other peopleas comparisons.

As the subject advances to the next page, the computer program calls IDLprogram and requests that a particular saved image be loaded from thehard disk and resized to fit in the screen of monitor 70 area asdiscussed above. This procedure continues until all four images havebeen displayed and all questions have been answered by the subject.

Upon viewing the standard photograph, the subject is then presented withquestions regarding the surface of his/her skin. Examples of suchquestions include, but are not limited to, whether they have any finelines, wrinkles, loss of elasticity or firmness, large visible pores,sensitive skin, and rough or smooth skin, as well as the severity andlocation of such conditions. Other questions include, but are notlimited to, the frequency and severity of irritation from skin careproducts.

Upon viewing the polarized photograph, the subject asked questionsregarding the oiliness of their skin. Examples of such questionsinclude, but are not limited to, whether they have normal, dry, oily, orselective oily skin (e.g., oil in certain areas such as above theeyebrows and on the tip of the nose).

Upon viewing the ultraviolet A photograph, the subject is askedquestions regarding the visualization of pigmentation of the face (e.g.,brown spots). Examples of such questions include, but are not limitedto, the amount and location of such pigmented spots.

Upon viewing the blue fluorescence photograph, the subject is askedquestions regarding acne. Examples of such questions include, but arenot limited to, the severity and frequency of his/her breakouts.

As described above, the images from camera 11 are displayed on thecomputer monitor 70. However, because the number of available screenpixels are less than the number of actual image pixels taken by thedigital photograph, only a small percentage of the original image canactually be displayed if the image is to be shown on the screen in itsentirety while maintaining aspect ratio. For the case of the Nikon DlX,which stores 6 million pixels per image, display of the digital image ina portrait orientation on a computer screen having a resolution of1024×768 results in display of only 1 out of every 18 pixels. In such adown-sampled image presentation, fine detail of the skin taken by camera11 is not fully displayed.

The solution to this problem is to use a technique whereby a 256×256 box(display kernel) appears directly over the area of interest and showsall the image pixels actually acquired by camera 11 for such area. Theeffect is an in-place magnification of a small area of the image onmonitor 70. The apparent magnification, shown as this display kernel,can be passed over various areas of the image selected by the subject.Thus, this is an example of 1:1 image display (where every image pixelis shown on the screen within a small display kernel). Truemagnification of the image can also be accomplished by interpolating thedata between pixels and creating additional pixels, thereby providingmagnification of select areas of the image. The subject selects themagnification of such area by touching the area of interest displayed onthe monitor 70.

Following the input of the answers from the subject, the computerprogram then proceeds to suggest skin care products for the subject.Each question in the computer program is associated with a skincondition. For example, the question “How often does your skinbreakout?” is associated with acne. As the subject answers eachquestion, the corresponding skin condition is assigned a degree. Forexample, the acne question has four degrees corresponding to the fouranswer choices: Always, Weekly, Monthly and Never. After the subjectanswers all the questions, the skin conditions questioned by thecomputer program are ranked according to severity. This ranking isaccomplished by passing all of the degree values entered by the subjectto a relational database stored procedure contained within a relationaldatabase (Microsoft SQL, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash. USA) thatis on the same computer.

A database table contained with the relational database contains arecord for each skin problem type and degree. A “degree weight” isassigned to each record, which facilitates the ranking of the skinconditions. For example, if the subject answers “Always” for the aboveacne question, and “Yes” to the question “Do you notice any loss offirmness on your face?” the acne skin condition may have a higher rankthan the loss of firmness condition. However, if the subject answers“Weekly” to the above acne question and “Yes” to the loss of firmnessquestion, the loss of firmness condition may be ranked higher.

After the skin conditions are ranked, the top three conditions, alongwith the subject's skin type, e.g., normal, dry, or oily, are passed toanother relational database stored procedure contained within therelational database. Using these values, this procedure queries a seconddatabase table that contains all of the possible combinations of skinconditions along with skin type. Each such record in the table containsa list of recommended products based on these values. This correspondinglist of recommended products for that subject's condition is then passedback to the computer program.

Finally, the computer program creates a printout using Crystal Reports(Seagate Corporation, Scotts Valley, Calif. USA) for the subjectincluding the suggested skin care products and pictures of the subjectwith information about the various skin conditions. At the conclusion ofcomputer program, the subject will indicate whether or not the imagesshould be kept or deleted.

It is understood that while the invention has been described inconjunction with the detailed description thereof, that the foregoingdescription is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Otheraspects, advantages, and modifications are within the claims.

1. A method of promoting a skin care product, said method comprising (i)taking a standard photograph of the skin of a person; (ii) taking atleast one additional photograph of the skin of said person, saidadditional photograph selected from the group consisting of anultraviolet photograph, a blue fluorescence photograph, and a polarizedphotograph; (iii) transferring the photographs to a computer having amonitor; (iv) presenting said standard photograph and said at least oneadditional photograph to said person on said monitor; (v) through thecomputer, presenting said person with one or more questions relating tosaid presented photographs; (vi) analyzing said person's answers throughthe computer; and (vii) suggesting skin care products based upon saidanalysis.
 2. A method of claim 1, wherein said method comprises taking apolarized photograph.
 3. A method of claim 2, wherein said methodfurther comprises taking an ultraviolet photograph.
 4. A method of claim3, wherein said ultraviolet photograph is taken by filtering lightemitted from a light source with an ultraviolet A filter.
 5. A method ofclaim 2, wherein said polarized photograph is taken with a camera by (i)filtering light emitted from a light source with a polarizing filter and(ii) not filtering the light entering said camera with a polarizingfilter prior to such light entering said camera.
 6. A method of claim 1,wherein said method comprises taking a polarized photograph.
 7. A methodof claim 6, wherein said method further comprises taking an ultravioletphotograph.
 8. A method of claim 7, wherein said ultraviolet photographis taken by filtering light emitted from a light source with anultraviolet A filter.
 9. A method of claim 8, wherein said standardphotograph and at least one of said at least one additional photographare taken with a single digital camera.
 10. A method of claim 9, whereinsaid standard photograph and said at least one additional photograph aretaken within a period of less than about 30 seconds.
 11. A method ofclaim 6, wherein said polarized photograph is taken with a camera by (i)filtering light emitted from a light source with a polarizing filter and(ii) not filtering the light entering said camera with a polarizingfilter prior to such light entering said camera.
 12. A method of claim11, wherein said standard photograph and at least one of said at leastone additional photograph are taken with a single digital camera.
 13. Amethod of claim 12, wherein said standard photograph and said at leastone additional photograph are taken within a period of less than about30 seconds.
 14. A method of claim 1, wherein said method comprisestaking an ultraviolet photograph.
 15. A method of claim 14, wherein saidultraviolet photograph is taken by filtering light emitted from a lightsource with an ultraviolet A filter.
 16. A method of claim 1, whereinsaid method comprises taking an ultraviolet photograph.
 17. A method ofclaim 16, wherein said ultraviolet photograph is taken by filteringlight emitted from a light source with an ultraviolet A filter.
 18. Amethod of claim 1, wherein said standard photograph and at least one ofsaid at least one additional photograph are taken with a single digitalcamera.
 19. A method of claim 18, wherein said standard photograph andsaid at least one additional photograph are taken within a period ofless than about 30 seconds.
 20. A method of claim 1, wherein saidstandard photograph and at least one of said at least one additionalphotograph are taken with a single digital camera.
 21. A method of claim20, wherein said standard photograph and said at least one additionalphotograph are taken within a period of less than about 30 seconds.